This invention concerns light firearms, in particular but not exclusively semiautomatic rifles equipped with a safety catch at the level of the under-barrel grip.
Firearms are usually provided with a hand-operated safety catch that has the function of preventing the gun going off accidentally or involuntarily, impeding functioning and/or activation of the firing mechanism or a part thereof, directly or indirectly.
On semiautomatic rifles the safety catch may be set transversally in the under-barrel grip. Essentially it consists of a pin, with buttons at the ends, which is moved longitudinally, by pressing the buttons alternatively, from an active safe position in which the arm cannot be fired, to a disabled position in which the firearm may be used. These extreme positions are defined by at least one spring-loaded arrest device or selector connected with the safety catch. Nevertheless, a safety catch of this sort does not efficaciously prevent abuse of the firearm inasmuch as it is accessible to and can be manually activated with ease by anyone, therefore also by unauthorised and incompetent individuals.
At present however there is a demand to equip such firearms with safety devices that can be activated and deactivated only with the use of a specific means, possessed only by the owner of the firearm or someone delegated thereby, with view to effectively preventing use of the firearm by unauthorised persons.
The main purpose of this invention is to propose a hand-operated mechanical safety catch, in particular for semiautomatic rifles, linked to a supplementary safety device which permits stable locking in the active safety position, a locking which may be deactivated only by means of a specific personalised key.
A further purpose of the invention is therefore that of supplying a hand-operated safety device for semiautomatic rifles which, as well as maintaining its structural features, its positioning in the under-barrel grip and its aim of preventing or allowing use of the firearm, can also be deactivated only by the owner of the firearm or by an authorised person in possession of the activating key for the supplementary device.
These purposes and advantages are achieved with a hand-operated mechanical safety catch of the type mentioned above, located in the under-barrel grip of a semiautomatic rifle and moveable axially between an active and inactive position, combined with a supplementary safety device which includes:
a safety device body located and fixed in the under-barrel grip on an axis intersecting the direction of movement of the safety catch pin and rotating around that axis between a position of locking the safety catch pin to prevent its movement from the active to inactive position, and a position of unlocking to permit movement from the active to the inactive position.
a specific command key to engage and turn the safety device body between the said positions of locking and unlocking, and
at least one blocking tooth or cam on the safety device body to intercept and axially block the safety catch pin at least in the active position when this safety device body is in the said locked position.
The safety device body is located and turns in a housing in the under-barrel grip and has a bit-key portion for coupling with the command key and at least one additional engaging tooth with respective corresponding parts to define the extreme positions of safety device body locking and unlocking.
Since the under-barrel grip is usually made of a techno-polymer, in itself susceptible to attack by cutting and/or breaking tools, it is preferable to sink, in the under-barrel grip, an insert in anti-cutting and anti-drilling steel, and the housing for the safety device is obtained from this insert, thus ensuring suitable toughness for the application.